


High Hopes

by NoSanaNoLife



Category: TWICE (Band)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-24 21:17:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17711723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoSanaNoLife/pseuds/NoSanaNoLife
Summary: Jeongyeon and Nayeon grow up together, and Jeongyeon hopes for the best.





	1. Chapter 1

When Jeongyeon was eight years old, she loved to wander the neighborhood by herself. Her sisters weren’t into exercise and playing outside like they used to be, and after three children, her parents were more than happy to give Jeongyeon the freedom to venture outside the house. So she would grab her bike, and make laps around the various suburbs, keeping an eye on her glow-in-the-dark watch to make sure she didn’t miss her curfew.

During one of these trips, she stumbled upon another girl, sitting on the sidewalk and drawing with chalk. Jeongyeon noted the girl’s chubby cheeks and the prominent front teeth, and immediately thought of a bunny. She braked right by the girl, causing her to look up.

They stared silently at each other for a few seconds. The stranger’s mouth was wide open, and her front teeth were even more apparent. So Jeongyeon blurted out the first thing that came across her mind.

“You have big teeth.”

The other girl didn’t respond for another second. And then she burst into loud tears. Jeongyeon was also shocked, and she began panicking. She didn’t mean to make fun of her. She just didn’t think before the words had left her mouth.

So she got back on her bike and ran.

Later that night, upon telling the story to her parents, she was reprimanded and essentially grounded. But not before they gave her a bunch of snacks and told her to bike back to the girl the next day. Her dad threatened to take her LEGOs away if she didn’t properly apologize. And everyone n the Yoo family knew the quickest way to get Jeongyeon to do anything was to go for the LEGOs.

In the morning, Jeongyeon set off to properly apologize. She arrived to see the same girl outside, still drawing on the sidewalk. As she pulled up, Jeongyeon noted that the other girl had drawn an angry stick figure on a bike being crushed by a piano. She internally reminded herself that this girl might have some violent tendencies.

The girl, upon seeing Jeongyeon stop in front of her, tried to pack up and leave.

“Wait!” Jeongyeon shouted. The other girl flinched and looked at Jeongyeon warily. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t making fun of you. I wanted to tell you that I think your teeth are cute.”

The other girl looked unconvinced, until Jeongyeon pulled out her snacks. Then, the girl smiled widely and Jeongyeon instinctively grinned back.

“I’m Nayeon. I’m nine years old. I moved here last week.”

“I’m Jeongyeon. I’m eight years old. I moved here a long time ago.”

Nayeon’s parents came out and found Nayeon and Jeongyeon scribbling together on the sidewalk. They raised an eyebrow at the drawing of a zombie girl on a bike and a bunny, but brushed it off as a product of their imaginations.

And that was how Jeongyeon met Nayeon.

…

They ended up going to the same school. Jeongyeon and Nayeon started out in different classes, but Nayeon got moved to Jeongyeon’s classroom after she had thrown an incredible temper tantrum that nearly deafened the teacher. They couldn’t figure out how to calm her until Jeongyeon had run to her during recess and shared some of her Oreos. The teachers thought it was the snacks that calmed her, but one mess on the floor later, they figured out it was Jeongyeon.

So Nayeon and Jeongyeon spent the majority of elementary school together. Everyday after school, Jeongyeon would quickly bike to Nayeon’s house after being dropped off by the bus. The two would do a myriad of games together, ranging from Nayeon’s board games to singing songs they listened to on Nayeon’s dad’s CD player. Their favorite activity by far, though, was bike riding. Jeongyeon was too small to support both of them at once, so Nayeon begged her parents for a bike of her own.

Jeongyeon spent an entire afternoon teaching Nayeon how to ride her bike. Nayeon’s dad had wanted to teach her, but Nayeon had insisted that Jeongyeon do it. Even with Jeongyeon pushing behind her, Nayeon had screamed the entire time and was practically begging the short-haired girl not to let go (Nayeon’s dad was busy apologizing to the various patrons of the park they were in).

They biked home together. Nayeon fell seven times and had at least three scabs, but Jeongyeon saw the smile on Nayeon’s face and believed it was one worth breaking a bone for.

Eventually the duo reached middle school. Nayeon continued her demands to be in the same class as Jeongyeon (the latter had no idea how she managed to do so without crying, but Nayeon had her ways). They still loved biking, but by now, they’ve biked around their respective neighborhood so many times that they both felt the need to explore further.

So they began biking around the entire town. Their parents miraculously gave their support, as long as the duo returned ton one of the homes in time for dinner. Having a curfew didn’t hamper their enjoyment at all to their surprise and their families’. Jeongyeon and Nayeon loved racing and seeing how far they could go before they had to turn back and rush home.

On one of these exploratory trips, they found another girl who was watching them with wide eyes. Well, it was more like she had glanced over at the same time that Nayeon had run into a trash can and flipped over. She had immediately run over to check on Nayeon while Jeongyeon pulled Nayeon’s bike off the road while barely controlling her laughter.

Nayeon, dazed on the asphalt, looked up to find a cute girl staring down trying to look for injuries. “Are you an angel?”

The other girl paused, and then also started laughing. “No, because you’re not dead. You’re funny. I’m Jihyo. Do you want to play together?”

And that was how one Park Jihyo joined their group. Nayeon decided that three members were enough to become an official bike gang. The three would spend hours after school biking to random spots in the town. They tended to follow a regular pattern: Nayeon would declare their location, Jeongyeon would debate her only to eventually yield, and Jihyo would follow dutifully and ensure they don’t do anything illegal. It was a perfect balance of responsible and fun.

Jeongyeon went to bed every night wishing that they could continue this way forever.

…

Eventually the girls grew older and entered high school. Jeongyeon had her concerns about the whole transition: all those movies convinced her that close friends were destined to drift apart. They would join different cliques and a whole bunch of drama would occur that could only be resolved by singing about their feelings. She can’t imagine fighting with Jihyo or not sharing classes with Nayeon. She spends the last days of summer praying for nothing to change.

Well only one of those thing ended up coming true: Nayeon dragged Jeongyeon and Jihyo to the choir club room in the first week of school. At first they had protested, but Nayeon insisted that they were all incredible singers and that anyone who attended their Disney movie marathons could vouch for them. Jeongyeon couldn’t really say no to Nayeon, and Jihyo followed along, as was tradition.

It turned out that they were in fact all fantastic singers. Jihyo fell in love with the school choir, and Jeongyeon figured that if she didn’t suck at it and could spend more time with her friends, then why not. So their afternoon bike rides were mixed in with late night choir practices. The three friends eventually garnered a reputation as the school’s trio of singing angels (Jihyo was particularly smug about this title and Nayeon just wanted to hide whenever it was brought up).

Along with the attention for their voices came a line of suitors. Boys, entranced by their talents and looks, often confessed to the girls. A few of them were cute and the girls were curious, so their high school lives also featured a few short-lived romances. Short-lived because no matter how close their boyfriends would get to the girls, they always fell the after school bike rides and choir practices on their the girls’ priority lists.

One day, while they were eating ice cream by the library, Nayeon brought up an interesting point.

“You know how our relationships never last more than like a few weeks or a few months?”

“I hope you’re not implying something about being promiscuous,” Jihyo said sternly. Nayeon lifted both hands in the air, and almost dropped her ice cream.

“No, not that. I’ve been doing some thinking,” Nayeon says seriously.

“That’s surprising,” Jeongyeon quickly interrupts, and Nayeon smacks the short-haired girl in the arm. She barely catches the ice cream again.

“Stop this is serious.” Nayeon takes a deep breath. “I think I’m gay.”

Nobody said anything for a second. Jeongyeon was left speechless. This was quite the surprise. Jihyo thankfully recovered quickly.

“Hey, uh, that’s cool. God what is the appropriate response to this situation…” Jihyo puzzles out loud.

“I mean you don’t have to say anything…a ‘cool’ would suffice I guess.” Nayeon nervously plays with the melting ice cream bar in her hand.

“Oh it’s super cool!” Jihyo quickly blurts out. “Thanks for sharing it with us! That’s totally cool and you’re still our best friend! Right Jeong?”

Nayeon and Jihyo both look at Jeongyeon, who had yet to say anything.

“Y-yeah,” Jeongyeon finally stammers out. Nayeon starts to look sad and Jeongyeon is quick to amend her words. “I’m sorry: I didn’t mean to sound insincere. It’s totally cool and I don’t have any problems with LGBQT people. I just need a moment to process this. How did you know?”

Nayeon shrugged. “I guess the last time I kissed Donghyun. Before we broke up, I just thought about how much I didn’t like kissing any of the other guys I’ve dated. They never use chapstick and I swear they always have wandering hands. I haven’t tried kissing a girl yet, but maybe it’s better? It’s a theory.”

“You have a theory about being gay?” Jeongyeon teases, and Nayeon begins to brighten up.

“Yeah just a theory for now. I need to run some experiments on some girls to find out the truth.”

“Ew,” Jihyo says. “You’re sounding like that player Jeongyeon dated a year ago.”

“Hey, in my defense, he offered to buy me a new LEGO set.”

Nayeon laughs loudly and pulls the other two in for a hug. “Thanks guys. For accepting me.”

“Of course,” Jihyo reassures.

“This changes nothing. Just let us know what we can do to help,” Jeongyeon adds. Nayeon blinks back the tears welling in her eyes, and hugs the two even closer. Her ice cream finally falls onto Jihyo’s lap, and Jihyo is quickly out of the hug and complaining. Nayeon starts cracking up again and Jeongyeon runs to grab paper towels from the library restroom.

Jeongyeon thinks those movies about high school are too overdramatic. Nothing changes between the three of them.

…

It’s the final concert of the school year. Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Jihyo were seniors, and had continued to maintain their reputation as the angelic trio of the choir. Jihyo, tired of it, often called the titles silly, and Jeongyeon would agree, but for different reasons. Over the years, it became obvious to her that she wasn’t quite on the same level as Nayeon and Jihyo.

She wasn’t just referring to singing talent. Jihyo was the literal embodiment of an angel at school. Always ready to volunteer and help others, Jihyo had easily found a place in the hearts of the student body for her amicability and helpfulness. Meanwhile, Nayeon had a huge amount of charisma that left a wake of admirers wherever she goes. Many of the students, boys and girls alike, would give up anything to have a date with her.

And Jeongyeon? Well, she still saw herself as a bit of a nerd who preferred playing LEGOs to gossiping and shopping. But the other two girls were eager to include Jeongyeon in everything they did, so despite her growing insecurity the two best friends refused to leave Jeongyeon behind. Jeongyeon, in a moment of weakness, asked them why they stuck around when they could be exploring higher social circles in the high school hierarchy.

“Because I like you the best,” Nayeon had said simply, not even bothering to look up from her notes. Jihyo, recognizing that Jeongyeon was opening up, nudged Nayeon harshly. Nayeon looked up, and was surprised to find a sad Jeongyeon, with her hands nervously clasped in front of her and looking smaller than Jihyo.

Nayeon sat up from her position across the table, and reached forward to take Jeongyeon’s hands into her own. Jeongyeon was surprised by the contact and tried to pull her hands away, but Nayeon only held on tighter. The short-haired girl gave an annoyed face and Nayeon smiled brightly.

“You’re awesome too, Jeongyeon. Who else can bike across the entirety of town without dropping a sweat? Who else can harmonize so effortlessly with Jihyo when she’s literally screaming her high notes?”

Jihyo folded her arms in annoyance but did not interrupt.

“Who else so easily accepts my sexuality and then proceeds to be the best wingwoman in history? You’re cool too Jeongyeon. I wouldn’t ditch you. If anything, you’re too cool for us!”

“You know, I’m right here,” Jihyo interjects, but the other girls ignore her.

Jeongyeon giggled. “Well, I guess I won’t leave. You guys do need me to lead the biker gang.”

Nayeon scoffed loudly. “As if, I’m def the leader of our gang. You would literally only bike to the mall and the one sushi restaurant on Main Street.”

“You know they have the best sushi in town!”

“THERE’S NO OTHER SUSHI PLACES IN TOWN!”

“I’m not wrong then! If it was you, we’d spend all day at the mall. And if it was Jihyo, we’d never leave cause that girl can’t even bike that far.”

“Okay hold up. I know we’re trying to cheer you up, but you know we can do it WITHOUT ROASTING ME.” Jihyo finally jumps in. The group quickly bursts into laughter and Jeongyeon is reminded that she has the best friends a biker nerd could ask for.

Eventually, the choirmaster calls for everyone to prepare to take the stage. The girls get up and perform exceptionally well. Near the end, the choirmaster asks the three of them to step forward. Jeongyeon joins Jihyo and Nayeon near the front, and sees that they’re also confused.

The choirmaster announces that he wanted to present a small award to the three of them for their dedication to the choir. Jeongyeon was floored to have received equal recognition to Nayeon and Jihyo. But the smiles they gave her as she hugged the choirmaster confirmed that they thought she was just as deserving as they were.

As they sang the final song, Jeongyeon couldn’t help but think about how silly it was for her to doubt her own value. There were some days where she couldn’t help the jealousy she felt from hurting her self-esteem. But Jeongyeon was grateful that her friends refused to let her be down on herself for too long.

Thinking back, she was thankful she coincidentally ran into Nayeon that faithful day. The girl had led Jeongyeon to so many adventures and introduced her to worlds she had never considered getting into, like singing. Nayeon always pushed Jeongyeon to do better and expand her horizons. As much as Nayeon could annoy her and at times make her feel inferior, the girl’s kind heart and childlike wonder inspired her to want to do more.

Nayeon’s solo finally came, and Jeongyeon was suddenly struck with the feeling and energy of Nayeon’s voice. Her high notes were taking Jeongyeon’s breath away, and Jeongyeon wished she could listen to those sounds forever. Suddenly Jeongyeon was acutely aware of how loud her heart was beating. How her palms were sweating. How her eyes couldn’t tear themselves from Nayeon on center stage, bathed in the stage lights with an awed audience in front of her.

And it’s only when Nayeon, from under the spotlight, flashes Jeongyeon a confident smile, that Jeongyeon realizes that she may have the biggest crush on her best friend. As Nayeon finishes her song about finding love in unexpected places, Jeongyeon can’t help but hope that the song could be about them.


	2. Chapter 2

When they started applying to college, it was a foregone conclusion that the three best friends would go to the same school. And after many late nights and desperate tutoring courtesy of Jihyo, they managed to make it to Yonsei University. It was far from their comfortable suburbs, but they were all eager to explore a new world beyond their small town.

Jeongyeon hung up her bike in exchange for a car, and the three of them drove over together with a suitcase each. The drive was filled with lots of loud singing and fueled by McDonalds French fries. They moved in, and Jeongyeon received more than a few comments about her friends being the loudest additions to the dorm in years. But Jeongyeon simply smiled and promised to do her best to keep them quiet (technically true, but Jeongyeon couldn’t stop them).

Unfortunately, the dorms only allowed pairs of people to stay together. Jeongyeon had suggested a fair game of rock, paper, scissors, but Jihyo waved them off.

“Yeah listen, I’ve been third wheel for like our entire childhood. I already know how this works.”

Nayeon began insisting that they would never leave Jihyo out and Jeongyeon just tried her best to stop herself from blushing. Jeongyeon had been doing a fairly good job hiding her crush from Nayeon for the past year. Even during their sleepovers, Jeongyeon managed to get some sleep and control herself when Nayeon was loudly snoring in the sleeping bag adjacent to hers.

But living together for the entire year? They might as well have buried Jeongyeon in her grave.

Eventually, Jihyo convinces them that she’s happy to leave the two of them together. “Maybe I’ll find my soulmate in another room so I don’t have to deal with you two being inseparable by myself.” Nayeon laughs gleefully and Jeongyeon gives an awkward chuckle. Jihyo gives Jeongyeon an unreadable look before going off to unpack in her own room.

The two unpack in an expectedly noisy fashion. Nayeon tries to take over some of Jeongyeon’s assigned closet space for her larger wardrobe. Jeongyeon only compromises when Nayeon allows Jeongyeon to use some of her counter space for the LEGO figures. It’s a mix of arguing and comfort that Jeongyeon imagines married couples experience.

For the longest time, Jeongyeon thought she obviously should confess. Isn’t that what every romance movie they watched as kids ends on? Why wait so long for the inevitable?

But Jeongyeon finds the fear of rejection so overwhelming that it makes her stomach queasy. How could she risk losing Nayeon, her best friend since forever? There’s just too much to risk, and Jeongyeon has always been a careful person (she took a week to build the LEGO Death Star and Nayeon had to beg her to leave her room to eat).

She would keep an eye on Nayeon’s behavior, and make a move once she could better ascertain Nayeon’s feelings. _Let’s wait for the guarantee_ , Jeongyeon thought to herself.

They finally finish unpacking, and Jihyo texts them to meet up for dinner, and to meet her roommate and the roommate’s friend.

They find Jihyo sitting next to two other girls in the cafeteria. She was sitting between two Asian women, who seemed to be very close to one another.

“Ah, there they are. Jeongyeon, Nayeon, I’d like you guys to meet my roommate, Minatozaki Sana. And this is her best friend, Hirai Momo!”

Jeongyeon extends her hand for a handshake, but Sana pulls her into a hug and exclaims her joy about making more new friends. Nayeon and Momo shake hands, and Jeongyeon notes how Momo is much more silent and appears more nervous. Jeongyeon dismisses it as Nayeon’s charm putting Momo off.

The group of five continue their meal, and easily begin to connect with one another. Sana and Momo have a relationship similar to Jeongyeon’s and Nayeon’s: they’re both best friends and incredibly loud. But the difference seems to be that instead of constantly arguing, they’re constantly in each other’s personal spaces.

Case in point: Sana somehow ended up on Momo’s lap while the latter ate the remainder of Sana’s meal. They looked completely comfortable being literally on top of each other. Jeongyeon looked over at Jihyo, who was making a face that she was well-versed with.

“So…how long have you guys been dating?” Jihyo asks tentatively.

Sana laughed out loud. “People always assume we’re dating. We’re not. We’re both quite single and quite looking to mingle. I need someone to take this vacuum off of my hands!”

Momo gave a whine and Sana apologetically patted her head.

Jihyo threw her hands up. “Thank God. I was going to jump out the window if I was promoted from third wheel to fifth wheel.”

Momo suddenly turned to Jeongyeon and Nayeon, and began quickly looking between the two of them. “Are-are the two of you dating then?”

Nayeon gave a similar laugh to Sana’s earlier. “No, we’re just best friends. Except without the whole lying on top of each other thing you guys got going on.”

Sana stuck her tongue out at Nayeon. “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.”

“Oh, believe me. I’ve been trying but this one for some reason _hates_ my hugs and kisses.” Nayeon lunged towards Jeongyeon, who quickly did her best impression of a turtle and tried to get away from Nayeon’s lips. Sana and Momo burst into laughter while Jihyo smiled and rolled her eyes at, what was to her, a common display.

“So if you guys are best friends, why aren’t you rooming together?” Jeongyeon couldn’t help but ask.

“Ah, well we have another good friend of ours,” Sana explained. “She never leaves her room though and it’s Momo’s job to keep an eye on her. I doubt you’ll be seeing her this year since she has an ungodly, packed schedule. So sadly I was cast out onto the curb, alone. Until I was saved by this beauty!” Sana then tried to jump onto Jihyo’s lap. Jihyo was instead jostled out of her seat and fell onto the floor.

The group laughed and resumed discussing schedules and potential majors. Jeongyeon was happy to have met Sana and Momo. They seemed like fun additions to their friend group, and Jeongyeon was excited to see if they were interested in singing or LEGOs.

However, Jeongyeon couldn’t help but notice Momo staring intently at Nayeon with an awed expression. It was a familiar face, but she couldn’t place where she had seen it before.

…

Sana and Momo fit seamlessly into their lives.

Even though neither had the same love of biking and LEGOs, Jeongyeon still found plenty to love about the Japanese duo. Momo was the first person she met who could eat even more than she could. The two started a tradition of exploring new restaurants in order to get the most food for the cheapest value.

Sana was a ball of energy that loved to hang out whenever. She was always eager to go out when Jeongyeon wanted to venture to other parts of the city. Plus, her extroverted nature let Jeongyeon take more of a backseat during their explorations.

The two of them also meshed well with Jihyo and Nayeon. Sana and Jihyo were a kind pair of roommates, whose only flaws were how loud they could be from just conversing with one another. And Momo had found herself following Nayeon around often and bonding over their love of performing arts.

Everything was going swimmingly. Until Jeongyeon realized it wasn’t.

It became evident that things were changing during the group’s movie night, a new tradition that Jihyo insisted on. They were all sitting around Jihyo and Sana’s room, with a laptop propped on a bed. Jeongyeon brought a bowl of popcorn and plopped down next to Nayeon the floor. The latter reached over in an attempt to cuddle with Jeongyeon, but she craned her neck to get away from Nayeon’s grasp.

Nayeon pouted and blew Jeongyeon a brief raspberry before moving to lean onto Momo. The Japanese student eagerly opened her arms and allowed Nayeon to move into her arms. After some fidgeting and shifting, Nayeon ended up in Momo’s lap while the latter rested her chin on Nayeon’s shoulder.

Jeongyeon observed the situation curiously, but sighed in relief when she realized that Nayeon had someone else to ask for affection from. To be honest, Jeongyeon had been secretly hoping Nayeon would force her to snuggle together, but this situation worked out for her as well. That way Nayeon wouldn’t have a chance to hear how loudly Jeongyeon’s heart was thumping in her chest.

But Momo loved physical affection as much as Nayeon did, and would never turn away a friend in need. Not like Jeongyeon, who ran away from Nayeon’s attempts at hugs and kisses.

And it became a more frequent occurrence. And Momo became present wherever Nayeon was. Nayeon opted to sit next to Momo during their meals. Momo was the first to congratulate Nayeon after her first theater auditions. Nayeon dragged Momo on late night snack runs. Momo suggested movies related to Nayeon’s upcoming roles.

Jeongyeon didn’t worry too much about this new development. Jeongyeon and Nayeon still lived together, and Nayeon and Momo were just excited with their new friendship. They were both involved in the performing arts, and Jeongyeon’s architecture classes didn’t have a lot of overlap obviously. It was a matter of scheduling, and Jeongyeon and Nayeon agreed to not worry too much about doing everything together.

But Jeongyeon had been going out of her way a little more than Nayeon. Something didn’t sit right with Jeongyeon whenever she saw Momo and Nayeon together. So she’d choose to do something else whenever the two of them were hoping to rope in Jeongyeon. Maybe it was a bit immature of her, but Jeongyeon couldn’t muster enough courage to confront them right now.

Nayeon approached her one day, asking why she had been so preoccupied, but Jeongyeon simply dismissed it. After so many years, Jeongyeon had gotten quite good at distracting her best friend with tangents.

“Do you really miss me that much? Are you gonna start crying again?” Jeongyeon jested while doing an impression of Nayeon’s crying face.

Nayeon put a hand over her face in embarrassment. “Yah! I was like eight years old! Let it go!”

Jeongyeon hummed absentmindedly and Nayeon pushed her lightly from her position on Jeongyeon’s bed. Nayeon then rested her head on Jeongyeon’s lap, and Jeongyeon started whining and started poking Nayeon’s head.

“You know I’ll always make time for you if you ask, right?” Nayeon asks. Jeongyeon’s glad that Nayeon can’t see her blush profusely from this position.

“I know,” Jeongyeon acknowledges. “But we’re not kids anymore. We gotta put our grades first and there’s nothing wrong with not spending all of our time together. It was inevitable.”

“I know too. But sometimes I miss just wasting away afternoons with you and Jihyo.”

Jeongyeon also thought a lot about the fun times they had in high school. She felt anxious whenever she worried about the three of them drifting apart. What kind of world would it be if Jihyo and Nayeon weren’t around to make her laugh and keep in her in check?

“Me too. But we can make plenty of new memories now. Besides, you have Momo to bother all the time now.”

Nayeon chuckles before pushing herself up and getting off the bed. “Let’s go grab some sushi! Just this once! Momo and I found this place last week that I know you’ll love.”

Jeongyeon allows Nayeon to drag her away, just like old times. And for that night, Jeongyeon allowed herself to pretend nothing had changed.

…

“Hey, why are you dressed up like you’re going to the gym?”

Nayeon pouts at her and Jeongyeon can’t bite back her smile at the sight.

“For your information, I’m going to see Momo at the dance studio. She offered to help with the choreography for my next musical, and you know how good Momo is at dancing. Figured I should dress like I’m ready to sweat.”

“Well that’s good. You’ll probably be sweating by the time you get the gym.”

Jeongyeon’s reply was met with a pillow to the face. After checking to make sure that her LEGOs were untouched, she turned to see Nayeon fussing with her hair in the mirror.

“You’re fretting about your hair a lot for someone about to be sweaty and gross.” Jeongyeon quirks an eyebrow. Nayeon makes eye contact via the mirror and sticks out her tongue.

“Well I did say that I was going to be dancing with Momo. That girl looks so hot dancing and I gotta do something to look good too.”

It’s only now that Jeongyeon notices Nayeon’s demeanor. She keeps fidgeting and playing with her hair. Every once in a while, Nayeon keeps biting her lip, and then freaking out about ruining her lipstick.

She’s nervous. Anxious. Over a meeting with Momo.

“Hey,” Jeongyeon calls out. She’s never been one for subtlety. “Do you like Momo?”

Nayeon comically freezes up like a caught criminal and Jeongyeon would laugh if not for the sound of her heart breaking echoing in her mind. Her crush was in love with someone else. Jeongyeon had her suspicions, but it was another thing to come face to face with the truth.

“So what if I am? I’m allowed to try hard to impress someone.” Nayeon was getting a bit defensive. She was giving that glare that Jeongyeon was all too familiar with by now. _Back off. Now._

But for some reason, Jeongyeon was feeling a little bitter right now.

“But impressing Momo? We’ve been friends for like a year, I don’t think you need to impress her anymore. Unless you’re angling for something more.”

“Why do you care if I am?!” Nayeon’s voice booms and Jeongyeon instinctively winces. Normally this would be the time where Jeongyeon attempts to laugh off her comment and offer a sincere apology. Nayeon would let out a deep breath and try giving Jeongyeon the cold shoulder, only to fail once Jeongyeon asked for forgiveness cutely.

“I’m just curious why I’m only hearing about this now. I am your roommate and best friend,” Jeongyeon states matter of factly.

“Really? I didn’t realize given how little I’ve been seeing you this semester? Almost like you’re avoiding me!”

Jeongyeon was frazzled by Nayeon’s keen observation. “I-I’m not avoiding you! I’ve just been busy.” It was a lame excuse and Jeongyeon felt her anger deflating as Nayeon continued to glare at her.

“Ugh, whatever Yoo Jeongyeon. I’m not the only one hiding something from my best friend.”

Nayeon finally leaves the room with a huff, seeking out Momo in a practice room somewhere. Jeongyeon immediately feels bad, but decides to wait to apologize in person as opposed to texting.

As she lay on her bed, formulating the best ways to sincerely say sorry, Jeongyeon came to accept that things had changed. Nayeon was allowed to romantically pursue whoever she wanted. What right did she, a coward who couldn’t confess for an entire year, have to get mad at Nayeon or Momo?

Eventually Nayeon would return, and the two would make up like they always do after their fights. But when Jeongyeon noticed Nayeon continuing to text someone late into the night, Jeongyeon couldn’t help but lose a little hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

They started their sophomore year at college by recruiting three more friends for their group. By now, Jeongyeon realizes that Nayeon has a habit of just running into people and befriending them if they stare at her hard enough.

Case in point: Nayeon had been laughing at one of Jeongyeon’s stories from her summer internship (don’t ask how she accidentally faxed a photocopy of her face to her boss) when she bumped into a small, pale girl. The small girl, who had been carrying a box of her stuff during move-in, ended up falling over and dropping her things on the floor of the dorm.

Before Nayeon could apologize, a large figure loomed over her. Nayeon and Jeongyeon were both surprised by the taller girl’s beauty and her furious glare. _She’s just standing there…menacingly!_ Jeongyeon thought as Nayeon instinctively tried to hide behind her.

“Hey Tzuyu stop! It’s okay I’m good!”

Tzuyu, the taller girl, quickly moves back to the pale girl to check for any injuries. Nayeon scrambles to help pick up the fallen belongings. Jeongyeon is torn between helping and laughing, and ends up doing both.  

Nayeon invites the two for an apology lunch, and that’s when they meet Dahyun, the pale girl, and Tzuyu, the tall one who wants to murder anyone who touches Dahyun. Apparently the two of them have been dating since high school after being childhood best friends. Jeongyeon laughed, but felt a sharp twinge of jealousy in her heart.

The lunch is fun, even if Tzuyu won’t stop glaring in spite of Nayeon’s hundred apologies. So they invite the pair to their weekly movie nights with the rest of their friend group. That night, it turns out that Jihyo had also picked up a stray freshman: Chaeyoung, an arts major who looked lost and Jihyo couldn’t help but find adorable.

Sana and Momo were thrilled to have underclassmen: for Sana, it meant more people to kiss affectionately, and for Momo, it meant more people to hug. So five became eight, and the group became inseparable. Jeongyeon found someone to share her corny jokes with in Chaeyoung. Sana and Momo found cuddling Dahyun to be incredibly therapeutic. And Jihyo and Nayeon couldn’t stop babying Tzuyu.

Having new additions to their friend group had another benefit to Jeongyeon’s hidden agenda. It allowed her to spread out her interactions, so it wouldn’t be noticeable if she spent less time with Nayeon. Jeongyeon felt she needed to do this for herself.

Since the small fight they had, Jeongyeon was a little more on edge. Nayeon was coming closer to discovering her feelings. But it was clear to Jeongyeon that Nayeon was interested in Momo. So in Jeongyeon’s opinion, a natural best friend will respectfully bow out of the competition, not that there was really one to begin with. Once Nayeon and Momo got together, they wouldn’t be hanging out that much anyways. Might as well get a head start.

Jeongyeon decided to keep encouraging Momo and Nayeon to spend time with one another. When Momo wanted to visit a new restaurant in town, Jeongyeon feigned illness while insisting that Nayeon was free. When Nayeon asked Jeongyeon to accompany her on a bike ride, Jeongyeon said she was helping Chaeyoung with homework and suggested she go with Momo. Nayeon was a little miffed at first, but she gradually opened up to the idea of spending more time with Momo.

She wasn’t exactly admitting it to Jeongyeon, but Jeongyeon could easily see through Nayeon’s attempts at playing down her crush. It hurt her heart to constantly push Nayeon towards another woman, but logically it made sense. At least in ten years Jeongyeon could take all the credit for getting them together.

Besides, with more friends, Jeongyeon found it easier to bury her longing for Nayeon. And she still had Jihyo, who continued to give her odd stares with pursed lips. Jeongyeon liked to imagine Jihyo would make a great, stern mother. Actually, Jeongyeon decided she needed to hide away from Jihyo more often. She was a bit scary nowadays for some reason.

It was in fact one of those days when she was hiding from Jihyo that Jeongyeon found herserlf watching anime in Chaeyoung’s room. The freshman hadn’t questioned it, and she was content to have her “hyung” around to bond over her favorite show.

During the opening of the third episode they were watching, Chaeyoung suddenly asked Jeongyeon a question.

“Are Momo and Nayeon dating?”

Jeongyeon almost choked on the popcorn kernel she was eating. Chaeyoung laughed and handed Jeongyeon a bottle of water.

“Bleh, thanks for that. No, I don’t think they’re official. But I guess you can see it too huh?”

Chaeyoung rolled her eyes. “They aren’t exactly being subtle about their alone time. I swear they think they’re so discreet about holding hands during movie nights.”

“Yeah, but it’s cute. We should support them. I know Nayeon is def interested. She just needs to get off her butt and confess.” Jeongyeon grimaced.

“Do you think we should cook up some snafu to get them together?”

Jeongyeon shook her head. “Nah. You’ve been watching way too much anime. I just try to give them as much alone time as possible. They’ll figure it out. We’re all adults here.” Her reply was half-hearted and Jeongyeon started worrying that she was allowing her true feelings to emerge.

Chaeyoung looked away from the screen to observe Jeongyeon’s face. Jeongyeon stared back nervously, and then made a silly face to try and get Chaeyoung to stop. The younger girl snickered and turned away.

“You’re a good best friend Jeong! She’s lucky to have someone like you.”

Chaeyoung returned her focus to the show, but Jeongyeon couldn’t get her heart back into it. Not when it was busy trying to get Nayeon out of it.

…

So far, everything was going according to plan. But whenever Jeongyeon had a dumb plan, there was one person who was always there to call her out.

Jeongyeon heard the sound of a key twisting, and she instinctively closed her eyes in annoyance. She should’ve moved the spare key before she started hiding from her friends.

The door flew open, and an irate Jihyo stormed through like a hurricane. Jeongyeon begrudgingly sat up from her position on the couch in time for Jihyo to place a single finger on her chest. She naturally folded in on herself, and felt like she was eight years old and being scolded by her mom for making another girl cry.

“You.”

“Yes, that is my last name.”

Jihyo was unfazed by her attempt at humor. Jeongyeon consoled herself by noting that it might’ve worked with Chaeyoung.

“Look Yoo Jeongyeon, you need to get out of this funk you’re in. You’ve literally been avoiding everyone for a week. Even Dahyun has been out of her room more than you, and that girl literally has Tzuyu waiting on her hand and foot.”

“Maybe I’m just sad I don’t have a slave like Dahyun does.”

Jihyo closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. The world needed to pay her for having to keep tabs on her best friends. Why couldn’t the universe at least have the decency to make her older so that’d she could have some form of leverage.

“I’m not gonna mince words here. I know Nayeon likes Momo. And I also know that you like Nayeon. I’ve known it since high school. And I know why you’re doing this silly hide and seek game.”

_Ah, so that’s why she keeps looking at me funny_ , Jeongyeon thought. Figures that the third friend in the group would be able to see everything that’s happening.

“Mm, this is a bit embarrassing then. But I’ll be direct too. If you know that much, then you know why I’m doing this! It’s pretty clear to me that Nayeon and Momo are gonna get together eventually. I’m just giving up on a lost cause.”

Jihyo’s eye twitched. “You think you and Nayeon are a lost cause? You’ve given up without doing anything?”

Jeongyeon feigned disinterest and shrugged. She got up to move to her desk and lie her head down. “Its like you said: Nayeon likes Momo. Nothing else can be done.”

“There most certainly is something! I won’t take sides here, but clearly Momo is interested in being more than friends with Nayeon. I just want to make sure you also take your chance. If you don’t want to lose Nayeon to her, you need to woman up and get her!” Jihyo scolded.

Jeongyeon didn’t lift her head from her desk. “Momo will be good to her. I’ve been her best friend for years, but I’m scared I’ll just ruin our friendship if we try going out. I’m just a plain Jeongyeon anyways.”

She remembered all the times Nayeon had come to her crying. That time she fell off the slide and skinned her knee in Kindergarten. The time she failed her first test in middle school because the teacher couldn’t read her handwriting. That time her first boyfriend broke up with her and together they cursed all the boys in the world. She couldn’t bear being someone who made Nayeon cry.

In the end, she was just Jeongyeon, the girl who played by the book and never stirred the pot. The dependable rock for her family, friends, and Nayeon.

“Besides, don’t you think she deserves better?” Jeongyeon whispered.

“Don’t you think you deserve better?” Jihyo replied sympathetically.

Jeongyeon finally lifted her head to look at Jihyo seriously. “Better than Nayeon?” She said skeptically. The concept of her finding anyone who could matchup to the angelic friend was absolutely foreign.

“No. Better than the shit you’re putting yourself through.” Jihyo shouted, leveling an exasperated glare at her friend. “Do you think anyone actually thinks you aren’t good enough? You’re stuck in this mess because you won’t pull yourself out!”

Jeongyeon looked down abashedly. She wished to tell Jihyo she was wrong. She wanted to lash out and list all of the issues plaguing her that were clearly out of her control. But a small part of her wouldn’t let her. Something inside was acknowledging the truth. And it kept her quiet.

Exhaling deeply, Jihyo made her way to the door of the apartment. “I’m always here if you want help Jeong.” Jihyo softly said. “But I can’t save you from whatever this is. Nayeon can’t. No one else can do it but you. See you tomorrow.” She slammed the door shut and Jeongyeon winced at the sound.

It was quiet in their dorm room. And all Jeongyeon could hear was Jihyo’s reprimanding voice in her head over and over again. She reflected more deeply on what Jihyo said. It was true that a lot of what Jeongyeon was doing was self-inflicted. But wasn’t it deserved?

But then Jihyo had made it clear that Jeongyeon didn’t deserve this. Her best friend so desperately wanted Jeongyeon to be happy and stop hiding. She thought back to those days when Jihyo would be the only person keeping Jeongyeon and Nayeon from getting injured and lost as they grew up.

She signed in resignation and got up to change into presentable clothes. Jeongyeon was reminded of their adventures exploring strange places around town they had never visited. She was again venturing into some unknown territory. Back then, Jeongyeon had felt invincible with Jihyo and Nayeon by her side. When Nayeon was scared and Jihyo cautious, Jeongyeon had been the one to step forward. When had that changed?

Jeongyeon shot a quick text to Nayeon, asking her to meet her outside after classes were done. Nayeon’s affirmation was immediate, and Jeongyeon suspected her best friend had been waiting for some form of communication. She took a deep breath.

She could be brave one more time. By herself.

…

They meet up by the park outside their apartment. Jeongyeon is sitting on a bench when Nayeon approaches her, wearing a warm cardigan over a neat button-down shirt and black jeans.

“Yah! Is there any reason for us to talk outside? It’s cold, and I’d rather we talk in _our_ room where it’s warm.”

“Maybe if you weren’t such a grandma, you wouldn’t feel your bones rattle so much.” Jeongyeon’s teasing helped ease her mind.

Nayeon pouted and stomped her foot. “We’re the same age!”

“Yeah yeah, just sit down for a minute, will you? Please?” The last word was said softly, and Nayeon could feel the mood shift with that last plea. She let out a single “hmph,” and then sat down next to Jeongyeon.

They were quiet for once, and Jeongyeon was a little caught off-guard by how silent Nayeon was. But Nayeon was simply waiting. All Nayeon wanted was to know where her best friend had been these past few months. And she was going to let Jeongyeon dictate the conversation.

Jeongyeon steeled herself. _Might as well just jump right in_.

“I’m not good at serious talks. So I’m gonna be a bit more forward. I hope that’s okay,” Jeongyeon starts. Nayeon nods in approval. “Actually, I wanted to talk about…us.

“We’ve been best friends for almost our entire lives. And for a long time, there was nothing else I needed from you. I was happy where I was. But since the end of high school, I started hoping that we could be more. I started wishing that we could do things even best friends don’t do together. You’re so beautiful and kind and driven and…I’ve fallen head over heels for you.

“I like you! As more than a friend. I…I just wanted you to know.” Jeongyeon broke eye contact after that last statement, and stared down at the floor, trying to dig with her eyes a hole wide enough to swallow her. “I’m sorry.”

There’s complete silence for a few seconds. Jeongyeon couldn’t even hear any of the leaves swaying in the wind or the footsteps of pedestrians passing through. Nayeon’s lack of response deafened Jeongyeon to everything else but the sound of her own anxious breathing. Her labored breaths sounded far too loud and every second Nayeon said nothing only amplified them.

“Oh Jeong…” Nayeon quietly trails off and Jeongyeon hears distinct sniffling.

And when Jeongyeon looks up, she can see that Nayeon is bawling. Tears streaking down her cheeks uncontrollably. And Jeongyeon realizes that it was just as painful for her best friend as it was for her. Nayeon was crying because she couldn’t reciprocate Jeongyeon’s feelings.

_Jeez, how much of an angel can you be?_

“Hey hey, please don’t cry. I’m the one who’s getting rejected here. You don’t have to feel bad.” Jeongyeon attempts to mollify Nayeon, who can barely get a breath in between her sobs. Nayeon covers her eyes with her hands in a futile attempt to stop the tear flow.

“I-I-I’m so sorry Jeong!” Nayeon’s cries were barely intelligible and Jeongyeon couldn’t help but laugh a little. _How is it that she can make me laugh while breaking my heart?_

Jeongyeon waits until Nayeon is able to compose herself a little more. She hands Nayeon a handkerchief, and Nayeon gives a wet laugh because _of course_ Jeongyeon has a handkerchief ready.

Nayeon sighed loudly. “Is this why it’s been so hard to get in touch with you? I was worried that I pissed you off or something.”

“No.” Jeongyeon shook her head. “I just…didn’t want to deal with this. I thought I could just avoid it until I wasn’t in love with you or you miraculously came around. But I got tired of running away and trying to live with my feelings for you. That and Jihyo would’ve kicked my ass if I didn’t say anything.”

“Yeah that sounds like our best friend,” Nayeon agrees, smiling. “I didn’t mean to put you through this. I wish you would’ve told me earlier.”

Jeongyeon swallows the questions that spring to mind when Nayeon mentions “earlier.” It wouldn’t be good to dwell on what-ifs right now. “That doesn’t matter right now. I’m confessing. And I’d really like it if you could give me an answer…it’s kind of embarrassing.”

Nayeon’s smile fades and she looks devastated. “Jeong…please don’t make me do this. Not to you.”

“I know you don’t want to do this. But I need you to do it. Please. So we can put this behind us. I…just help me move on.”

Nayeon closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Despite knowing her for years, Jeongyeon is still floored by how empathetic and kind Nayeon is. And Jeongyeon knew during this moment that she had no regrets about falling for such a wonderful human being. One who could make her laugh, cry, and experience everything in between.

“I’m sorry again, Jeong. I like Momo. Not you.”

Jeongyeon had expected the answer. She had done her best for the entire day to imprint in her mind the fact that Nayeon would absolutely reject her confession.

But Jeongyeon couldn’t help but feel her heart sink and the tears start to flow from her own eyes. She quickly rubbed them away before she became a mess, and faced Nayeon. Her best friend’s face only revealed how concerned and sad she was, and Jeongyeon mentally berated herself for causing Nayeon such distress.

“Thanks Nayeon. I just needed to get this off my chest. I’ll get over this, and we can go back to how we used to be. I promise.”

Nayeon’s lip quivered and she tentatively opened her arms up for a hug. Part of Jeongyeon wished desperately to deny it, but she could never turn down Nayeon.

They hugged on the bench, and both tried their best to stifle their cries. They stayed until the sun began to set and the street lights began to illuminate them.

Jeongyeon tried her best to consider this a victory. She finally gathered the courage to tell her best friend about her feelings. There was no more hiding. They could stay best friends, and Jeongyeon would eventually mature and fall out of love. Everything went about as well as it could have.

But as dusk settled rapidly fell around them, Jeongyeon’s spirit collapsed alongside it. And Jeongyeon’s logic had no answers to the aches in her heart and the sobs shaking her body. It was undoubtedly a loss.

…

Later that night, Sana was checking her social media while Jihyo studies across the room. A sudden knock interrupts her mindless scrolling, and Sana rushes to open the door so Jihyo wouldn’t lose her place in the textbook.

She opens the door to find a slumped Jeongyeon, who was quietly dripping tears onto their floor. Sana gasped a little, but then tightened her lips. She silently dragged Jeongyeon into the room.

A small cough prompted Jihyo to remove her earbuds. Jihyo looked up and was surprised to find Jeongyeon and Sana holding hands in their room. But Jeongyeon’s face told the whole story, and Jihyo gave her best friend a soft smile.

That night, Jeongyeon slept in between Sana and Jihyo on a single bed. Jeongyeon did her best to keep her sobs to a minimum while Sana and Jihyo did their best to hug all of the sadness out of Jeongyeon’s body.

It wasn’t much, but Jeongyeon thought she wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep without them.

…

Things were a little awkward. After the confession, they both agreed to give each other a little space to help Jeongyeon come to terms with Nayeon’s rejection. As a result, Nayeon had been tending to stay away from the dorm more, knowing that Jeongyeon would prefer to stay home then cope outside. It makes Jeongyeon’s heart ache and she finds herself often lying in bed, wishing she could turn back time before she altered the relationship she had with Nayeon.

But that was simply Jeongyeon allowing her inner demons to get the better of her. And her friends were far too kind to allow that to happen. Chaeyoung sent her hilarious memes everyday. Jihyo and Sana were constantly pulling Jeongyeon out of her room to get meals and exercise. Dahyun kept Jeongyeon company while she studied. And Tzuyu didn’t say much, but somehow Jeongyeon liked the comforting silence exuding from the quiet giant.

Momo wanted to help too, but, understandably, felt the need to keep her distance. Jeongyeon assured Momo that regardless of Nayeon’s feelings towards her she would not hold any ill will. Momo was simply too kind and Jeongyeon couldn’t possibly feel any animosity towards the Japanese student. Still, Momo thought it was best to also give Jeongyeon space.

And for a while, everyone was walking around on eggshells during their movie nights and group hangouts. Jeongyeon chuckled at the memory of their first meetup following the confession. Dahyun dived for a DVD in Chaeyoung’s hand when she had suggested a romcom movie. When Nayeon had reached over Momo to reach the remote, Jihyo thought they were flirting and had promptly pushed Nayeon over the couch arm. Sana spilled the bucket of popcorn, but that happens every movie night.

Honestly, Jeongyeon had initially wished to just skip these get-togethers. She couldn’t help but feel responsible for the awkwardness within the group. And she believed that Nayeon felt the same, with how evidently Nayeon would pretend to have other obligations or appointments. If either of them had it their way, one or both of them would have probably drifted away from their tight knit group.

But Tzuyu made their stance clear one day when they were studying at a café. Dahyun ended up falling asleep, and Jeongyeon smiled as Tzuyu draped her jacket over the smaller girl.

“What’s been keeping her up? You guys getting it on late at night?” Jeongyeon teased.

Tzuyu stared back blankly. “Not as much as we used to.”

Jeongyeon choked on her drink. Tzuyu smirked victoriously, and Jeongyeon, in between coughs, couldn’t decide if Tzuyu was serious.

“I’m so sorry I asked.”

Tzuyu sips her drink calmly. “She’s been up brainstorming some silly group hangout ideas. Dahyun’s convinced there’s some way to get you and Nayeon to talk to each other again that involves eye contact.”

“O-oh,” Jeongyeon lamely says. She looks fondly to the pale girl sleeping. “Sorry. I’ll try and figure something out eventually.”

“Mm,” Tzuyu hums nonchalantly. “Honestly I get that it’s rough for the two of you after what’s happened. And of course, take your time with figuring things out. We’ll manage. It’s just been a bit more tense for all of us now that you and Nayeon are refusing to interact with one another.”

Jeongyeon sighed. Tzuyu’s straightforwardness was amazing. She couldn’t decide whether to be offended or appreciative of the brutal honesty.

“Yeah…that’s what I was afraid of. Look, I hate being a burden so, if it makes things easier, I can skip some of the movie nights and dinners…”

“You are being a burden,” Tzuyu bluntly retorted.

Jeongyeon immediately felt guilty and downcast. She had always known she was unnecessarily inconveniencing her friend group, but to have it thrown so blatantly in her face was hurtful.

“But,” Tzuyu continued. “Friends are burdens sometimes. And we don’t mind dealing with it until you and Nayeon are cool again.”

“But…but aren’t you guys getting sick of it? Of being the only ones who care about keeping us together? Of trying to save something I’m not trying to?” Jeongyeon can’t help but vocalize the doubts she had been hiding in her mind.

Tzuyu shrugs. “We think that your friendship is something worth saving. So until you guys are ready to mend the bridge, we’ll keep it from burning down.”

Jeongyeon fought back tears. She hadn’t expected Tzuyu of all people to care so much. But maybe she just needed someone to tell it to her straight. No sugar.

“Thanks Tzuyu.”

“You’re welcome. But do pick up the pace. Dahyun needs to get more sleep if she’s gonna finish her composition on time.”

Tzuyu, deciding their conversation was over, slapped Dahyun in the back of the head. The smaller girl yelped and jumped out of her seat, knocking her coffee onto the ground.

“OW! What was that for- Oh no! The coffee! Tzuyu, help me clean this up!”

As Tzuyu dutifully gathered napkins to hand to a distressed Dahyun on the floor, Jeongyeon smiled. Her friends were doing so much for her. _They deserve someone better,_ Jeongyeon thought. Normally, this would be the start of another spiral of depression. Instead, Jeongyeon had another initiative in mind.

_So I should do better._

…

Later, Jeongyeon saw Nayeon getting dinner at the cafeteria. She considered turning away and going to buy some fast food elsewhere, but she remembered what Tzuyu said. And it became even more evident to her that the last thing she wanted was to lose her best friend.

She walked over, and when Nayeon looked up shocked, Jeongyeon felt her legs shake slightly. She wanted to run away. But she swallowed her nerves and opened her mouth.

“Hey, can I eat with you?”

Nayeon seemed to struggle to find her voice for a second, but then a smile creeped onto her face.

“You never have to ask.”

Jeongyeon smiled back and took her seat across from Nayeon. The butterflies in her stomach were still there. She knew that Nayeon could never reciprocate her feelings, and that sadness still felt like a heavy stone in her stomach.

But she also knew that she would feel worst if she kept this secret inside. Maybe it would’ve festered into some disease that slowly ate at her from the inside-out. And maybe it would have soured their relationship even more because Jeongyeon would’ve been lost to her bitterness and envy.

Realistically, pushing Nayeon away was doing the same thing. If she kept this up, then Jeongyeon would lose Nayeon forever. That thought scared Jeongyeon more nowadays.

And she confirmed something when Nayeon gave her a big smile and quickly began speaking about her most recent audition: Nayeon didn’t want to lose Jeongyeon either.

It’d be stupid to throw away something so precious to the both of them. And it was time to stop depending on their friends to keep their friendship alive. They could still be friends. They still wanted to be friends. There was hope for them yet.

…

Nayeon forced Jeongyeon to tag along for a lunch meetup with Sana and Momo’s best friend. She had insisted that Jeongyeon meet Momo’s best friend, because if the couple was going to spend almost all of their time together, their best friends also needed to spend a fair amount of time together. Ultimately, Jeongyeon’s protests fell on deaf ears and Nayeon sent her the meeting details.

So here she was, head on the table as she tried to tune out Nayeon and Momo’s disgusting flirting. She mentally patted herself on the back for not feeling as much jealousy as she used to just two months ago. Things were slowly getting back to normal. They were hanging out together again. They were constantly sending silly texts and complaining about bad professors to each other again.

Jeongyeon’s heart was finally starting to accept reality.

There was a ding from the café door, and Momo got up. Nayeon roughly elbowed Jeongyeon to pay attention, which Jeongyeon retaliated by poking her on the side. Nayeon yelped loudly and the two began a weak slap fight, complete with both girls pointing their faces away while wildly swinging their hands.

Eventually, a small cough interrupted them. Jeongyeon looked up, and everything was suddenly in slow motion. She was shocked to find an elegant beauty staring back at her. The girl had a neat bob with perfectly glossy hair. Her posture was steady and Jeongyeon felt like she was looking at a princess.

“H-hi, I’m Jeongyeon.” She ignored the smirk that Nayeon was failing to hide. Momo was looking excitedly between the two girls, but Jeongyeon wasn’t sure if it was because Momo could see the gay panic happening or if she was just that happy to have two friends meet.

“Hello. I’m Myoui Mina. Nice to meet you.” Mina stuck out her hand, and Jeongyeon eagerly grasped it with two. Mina was taken aback for a second, but smiled back shyly. The sight of her gummy smile took away Jeongyeon’s breath. It felt like the start of something new, and Jeongyeon was reminded of biking around her neighborhood and discovering Nayeon on a sidewalk.

There was still a lot of room for her to grow. She was getting over Nayeon, slowly but surely. She had already been brave once, and she thought that she could maybe do it again someday.

Jeongyeon had high hopes this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading.


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